I got this from a tweet by Saladin; the photographer is not named but I imagine it was John O’Halloran, who was the official photographer for the evening. If I am incorrect, someone let me know, please. Credit where credit is due is always nice. (Update: The photographer may have been Philip Peterson.) (Update update:Definitely Philip Peterson.)

Dude, all you need to add to that to make it more awesome is you and your evil nemesis (Brandon Sanderson, who I am a rabid fan of as well) engaged in a duel to the death with your Hugos and the Great Pen Scalzibane.

I am betting on Lois hands down. Lois, you once chased me around a bush while riding a gigantic horse and you had mayhem in your eyes. My therapist says I will only be able to control the terror, it will never go away. Never. I am rooting for you.

I regret to inform you that the Hugo ceremony was a week ago this evening, and that, alas, Lois did not win. Some disreputable hack did. I can’t recall his name, but if I think on it, it may come to me.

Yep. Setting an example of quiet dignity that all fandoms can aspire to. Also, who do I have to kill/bonk/marry to get Seanan’s hair? Note: Seanan must live to write more gorgeous books, so anyone who suggests scalping will be mocked. Also, Lois’s expression is obviously fake. She’s clearly just letting y’all take out the opposition for her. Where’s the photo of her sitting on a pile of bodies?

I love when Stan busts out that wacky side. He keeps it under wraps most of the time, but you can see and hear it lurking behind the mild-mannered exterior. Which makes it even more fun when it happens. We’re used to Scalzi dorking out, but not Robinson.

Lois is clearly thinking strategically (as of course she would), planning to swoop in after Stan and Saladin have done each other in, and John has succumbed to Seanan but mortally wounded her. Then Lois can apply the coup de grace.

The full photostream of the Best Novel finalists is entertaining and illuminating. A series of shots of quiet dignity, as advertised, then the next-to-last shows four out of five being quietly dignified … and Our Host sticking out his tongue.

John, have you read any of Lois’s writing? When did losing ever prevent her characters from winning? Maybe the Hugo was decided last week, maybe the press releases are out, and maybe the victory parties have been partied. That does not mean Lois did not win, or maybe more accurately will win.

I remember one of my favorite “the winner didn’t win” scenes from Barrayar. Vidal Vordarian has assumed the emperorship through a coup, then captured people, discomfited the Vor, killed enemies and threatened her unborn son Miles in the usual “I won and you can’t touch me” style we have to come to expect from evil pretenders to the throne and former Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States. What does she do?

Well, she and a few friends march into Vidal’s man cave and grab Vidal by the ear, (After removing the ear and the whole head from the rest of the body), and marched his head back to a little surrender party and victory dance that was being arranged by the late Vidal’s buddies. There was going to be cake, and rubbing it in Aral’s face with the de rigour exile and maybe a bit of purging of the legitimate Vor line just for yucks.

Then Cordelia comes dragging in looking like she was keel hauled through a fathom of manure. She takes Vidal’s head out of her purse and bowls it down the table that Vidal’s men thought was going to be used for negotiating Aral’s humiliation. What a game changer!

So here is my thought. Lois is standing just ahead of and to the right of you in the picture. Sure she has a look of concern on her face. But more import, she is positioned so that she cannot be struck by an errant punch or kick. She can easily see what all of you are doing and you are all otherwise engaged maybe even distracted. To me she looks like she is out of range but fully engaged.

I forgot to add Congratulations. I just today bought “Old Man’s War” today. I am old and I was in a war. Marines. Long time ago Marines were called leathernecks. Know why? It kept them from loosing their head to a cutlas blade. They wore thick leather collars. Think about it.